In His Arms
by December'sRose
Summary: The first thing Chad Danforth saw when his vision focused were blue eyes. His blue eyes. Chyan one-shot. Implied Troyella and Zekepay. Post HSM3


Title: In His Arms

Rated T

Summary: The first thing Chad Danforth saw when his vision focused were blue eyes. His blue eyes. Chyan one-shot [slash]. Implied Troyella and Zekepay. Post HSM3

Disclaimer: I don't own HSM.

A/N: Ta dah! I now present my first HSM one-shot. I'm really pleased with the way this came out, and I hope it's enjoyed. Btw, if you just clicked on this without reading the summary this is a slash fanfic. Chyan. Boy-boy relationship, kissing, and fluff. So, if that's not your cup of tea and the subject offends you I don't think you should read this. At all. Many thanks to Brandi (bsloths) for being my beta-reader!

* * *

The first thing Chad Danforth saw when his vision focused were blue eyes.

His blue eyes.

At that moment, he regained full consciousness. Chad felt his hand in Ryan's, who was stroking it gently with his thumb, while his other hand absently played with his hair. Ryan looked down at his boyfriend when he felt his body shift a bit. He smiled sadly.

"Don't ever scare me like that again."  
"How long have I been out?" Chad asked sleepily. Ryan's hand was warm in his and he squeezed it reassuringly.

"A few hours." Ryan answered. He bent down to kiss him softly. "I've been watching you sleep. The others went home but they'll be back soon," he said against Chad's lips. Chad rested his forehead against Ryan's for a moment before Ryan pulled back. He sat up in the hospital bed slowly; Ryan's arm was supporting his weak frame.

"I expect a full list of the foods you're allergic to," the blonde half-joked. His voice cracked slightly and Chad noticed. He squeezed Ryan's hand again.

"I honestly figured I wasn't allergic to anything," Chad told him.

"The doctors aren't even sure what food at the party caused you to pass out," Ryan added bitterly.

As Ryan continued to play with his hair, Chad remembered that night in detail. He remembered sitting in Ryan's lap, his boyfriend's arms around him lovingly while they talked to Gabi and Troy, who were seated comfortably in the neighboring chair. They were at Lava Springs. Chad, Troy and Gabriella had been invited to spend the summer there by the Evans twins, to join the rest of the former Wildcats. This time, they wouldn't be working…they'd all be guests. Everyone had finished their first year of college…everyone had changed. Troy and Gabriella were still dating of course, but Taylor seemed different when Chad first laid eyes on her. The two had broken up officially when Taylor made her way to college. Both figured a long distance relationship wouldn't be able to work out. Still, when Chad saw her at the reunion he was pleased to hear that she had moved on and was currently dating one of her classmates. Kelsi had grown taller, not by much but her new height was noticeable. She had come down from Juilliard with Ryan. Sharpay surprised everyone when she announced that she and Zeke had been official for a few months. Zeke had actually decided to attend U of A for the college offered a fantastic, culinary program. They started dating after Zeke saw Sharpay perform in her college's winter musical as the lead. Chad always thought she was too much of an ice queen to realize Zeke's feelings toward her but as he watched them dance he could tell she had a heart as Zeke pulled her close. Sharpay seemed happy and Zeke looked as if he was on cloud nine.

Chad and Ryan had started playing baseball weekly, just like they did the last time they were at Lava Springs. Though he shot hoops with Troy often, he always was found hanging out with Ryan. Their friendship grew deeper. It had been earlier that night, before Sharpay's party had started, when Chad found himself in Ryan's arms, kissing him blissfully…afraid to let go. Ryan told him later that he had tried convincing Sharpay to invite Troy and Gabriella also, so his main reasons of inviting Chad wouldn't seem so obvious. Ryan admitted that he realized his crush on Chad the start of Senior year. Ryan had boldly signed up as the Wildcat mascot in order to impress him. His plan half worked; Chad complimented the fact that Ryan was brave enough to go out for mascot when he was known as the theater nerd around school. Ryan was the one who thought about inviting Chad down for the summer to confess, but figured it was also a good idea to invite all their other friends as well so it wouldn't be as awkward. Zeke was excited about seeing Troy and Gabriella again and he managed to help Ryan convince his girlfriend into inviting them with sweets and kisses.

Chad wasn't new to the concept at all. Some of the guys he and Troy hung out with in California were gay and he didn't need to be told about what they thought of him secretly. Luckily, Chad had fully figured it out somewhere from the moment he had arrived at Lava Springs, to that present day. Troy found out at the party and Gabriella confessed that she and Kelsi had been gossiping about it for the longest time through emails and text messages. Sharpay already knew her twin was gay before he figured it out, but was honestly surprised when Ryan introduced Chad as his new boyfriend.

He remembered loud, pulsing music. Sharpay hired Kelsi to be the DJ and Chad and Ryan danced to almost every song. They were taking a break, as were East High's old, favorite couple. He remembered how fatigue took over, how he leaned into Ryan suddenly like a small child. Chad had felt his eyes close, had heard Ryan and Gabriella cry his name in fear. He remembered hearing Troy call for help, he felt Ryan sinking from the chair to the floor so he could hold Chad close in a more comfortable position. Ryan's voice begged him to open his eyes and Chad tried obeying but couldn't. He had no energy. He couldn't breathe.

"The paramedics had to almost pry you from me." Ryan chuckled without humor. Chad looked up at him with sympathy; Ryan must have gone into a state of shock.

"They gave you medication to regulate your breathing. Through a shot." Ryan placed his hand on Chad's arm as his boyfriend leaned into him.

"How're you doing?" Chad asked, concern in his voice.

Ryan blinked, obviously not expecting this question. He paused before answering.

"Better, now that you've finally woken up," he supplied, kissing Chad's forehead and resting his chin upon his head as their hands interlaced. They remained in that position in silence for a while.

Chad could tell that Ryan was more than relieved as he breathed steadily. In all honesty, it felt rather ironic. All those years of playing basketball, all the tournaments, all the games, and Chad had never once collapsed due to lack of air. One small incident landed him in the hospital because of something he ate.

"Oh, good! You're awake!"

Chad didn't need to turn to recognize the voice. He knew automatically that it belonged to his best friend's girlfriend and shifted just in time to see Gabriella bouncing into the room, Troy following behind her.

"We felt wrong leaving you both here, so we came back," Troy explained as Ryan opened his mouth to ask what they were still doing at the hospital. "We sent Sharpay home to get some sleep though; she was nodding off in the lobby. Zeke drove her."

"That's good." Ryan nodded. Gabriella made her way to the side of the hospital bed and sat down while Troy just grabbed a chair.

"How're you feeling?" She asked him kindly, moving Chad's curly hair to the side so it wouldn't be in his eyes.

"I'd feel better if I could go home," he informed her. "I hate hospitals."

This earned an amused chuckle from his boyfriend; Gabriella smiled sympathetically and Chad closed his eyes as he leaned into his boyfriend once again.

"Dude, you're still tired?" Troy asked, incredulously. "You've just taken the world's longest cat nap!"

"It's the medication," Ryan explained before Chad could comment. "It'll make him sleepy for a few hours."

"Have the doctors figured out what Chad is allergic to?" Gabi asked curiously.

"No, and I wish they would," Ryan muttered.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay Chad." Gabriella said with a smile. "You scared us all."  
"Sorry 'bout that." Chad said, smiling back. "But you know how much I love to freak you guys out."

Gabriella squeezed his hand before turning to Troy. "I think we should go. We just wanted to make sure Chad was okay."  
"It's cool," Troy told her, getting up from his seat. He knew that Gabi was trying to let the two boys have some alone time with one another.

"Thanks for stopping by," Chad said.

"No problem, dude. And get better fast so we can get back on the courts," Troy declared as they exchanged a high five. Ryan gave Troy a grateful smile.

As soon as Gabi shut the door behind her, Chad sighed. "It's going to suck when summer ends and I have to follow them back to California."

Ryan's smile faded into a thin line. At the end of Senior year, Troy had talked Chad into following him to college instead of going to U of A. The problem had been brought up beforehand, and it left them both unsure. Would they have to break up at summer's end? Could a long distance relationship possibly work out? The thought of leaving Chad in a few weeks made Ryan's heart ache and he found himself pulling Chad closer towards him.

"Don't think about that now," Ryan whispered into his hair. "Just don't. We'll come up with a solution when the time comes."

"I don't want the time to come," Chad said softly, his own voice breaking this time.

Again, silence took over and both boys found themselves within their own memories. The only noise that made an impression was the sound of ticking from the clock that hung on the wall above the bed. After an endless minute, Ryan kissed Chad's forehead before shifting so that his boyfriend could sleep comfortably. "You should go to sleep," he said, softly. "You need rest. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

He felt Chad nod against him and reached over to dim the lights. Seconds later, Chad's light snoring could be heard and Ryan felt himself nodding off to its rhythm. Ryan had no idea what awaited the two at summer's end, but gained comfort and reassurance that they would indeed be able to form a solution, from the simple fact that he had Chad in his arms right now. After all, it was always said that love could overcome any barriers.

-Fin-

A/N: Thanks to Brandi's advice, I might turn this into a two-shot later. I know I never did explain what Chad is actually allergic to, but I'm thinking peanut allergy. I might clarify that if I do end up making this into a two-shot. Thanks for reading guys. Until next time.

"_Never let go of the one you truly love_."

-December'sRose


End file.
